


His Idol

by orphan_account



Series: Drabbles For Tea [6]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Bharatanatyam, Dancer Eren Yeager, Indian Classical Dance, Indian language, M/M, fanboy levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23782807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Drabble based on a prompt from Tumblr featuring Eren as a Bharatanatyam Dancer and Levi as his secret admirer
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Series: Drabbles For Tea [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713292
Kudos: 32





	His Idol

**Ask: Hi Hans!! (lol I'm using ur name, is that ok??) I really, really really reallllllllly love your little drabbles :D So I wanted to request one too! Um, I've seen on so many posts that you are from India, so can you write something Indian related to Ereri?? I'll leave it to you to decide which topic because, well, you know your culture and country.... please?? <3**

**_*_ **

The carpet muffled his steps as Levi followed the soft jingle of bells. He didn’t pay mind to where he was going; his feet guided him of their own accord as they took him through the dark corridor.

When the bells rang, he always answered their call.

The faint music grew stronger and stronger as he approached the door. After years of listening to it, he had to admit a certain fondness towards the rich tunes or _raga_ , as they were called. The loud and deliberate thud of feet and bells on wood was another melody his ears had a penchant for. What he absolutely hated was the wretched creak of the door when he opened it and peered inside.

The young dancer pivoted about his ankle while the belt of bells chimed with his movements. He sang the notes softly under his breath with every step. He twirled and brought his feet down heavily, the resulting thud echoing throughout the empty auditorium. Back arched as he placed his consequent steps and head thrown back to bare the sweat-encased neck – Levi watched, enraptured at the beauty dancing on the stage, impervious to the world around him.

It was always this way. Levi never failed to turn up after everyone had left, just to watch him dance. The sight filled him with a sick glut of satisfaction – he liked having the male all for himself, relishing the curve and dips of muscles and the palette of expressions that adorned his face as the dancer went about his daily ritual.

Levi wasn’t religious. But he worshipped the deity that was Eren Yeager.

* * *

He was running again, the sound dully masked by the carpet. The corridor was lit up brightly this time and Levi had to swerve around the many people emerging from their rooms. Performers clad in bright silk, their assistants or close friends – Levi ignored them all and didn’t stop until he reached the door right at the end. He slowly pushed it open to steal a peek.

A rich maroon _dhoti_ embroidered with intricate golden threadwork wrapped around Eren’s lower half, the sight sinful to behold. His torso lay completely bare. A pair of golden _vanki,_ one on each arm, twisted around it like a jeweled snake. His face painted in the traditional make-up only made him look all the more divine – thick _kajal_ around his eyes that demanded everyone’s attention, a faint blush powdering his cheeks and a long, black _tilak_ drawn between his eyebrows. The tips of his fingers and his feet were dyed red to highlight their movements when he had to dance. Simple and elegant.

The sharp intake of breath wasn’t unnoticed.

A moment’s surprise washed over the young dancer, followed by a smile that lit up the dim room. “Hi,”

Levi looked back to see if there was somebody else he was talking to. Apparently, no.

_Say something, idiot._

“You look like you want to use the toilet,”

_Nailed it._

Eren laughed nervously. “Do I? Maybe I do. I’m scared. I mean, I’ve been practicing for months and now I have to perform. Wow! In front of the stage. In front of people. Actual humans. Shit, I’m rambling –” he brought a red finger to the underside of his chin and scratched it. “– It’s gonna be different from an empty auditorium with only one person watching,”

Levi almost had a stroke.

“ _What?_ ”

Eren blushed so deeply it looked like somebody had applied the same red dye to his face as well. He played with his fingers nervously. “Uh… I knew you were watching the entire time,” he mumbled. “Every time I practiced, you were there behind the door… I didn’t want to call you out because I felt embarrassed,”

_Oh shit. Shit._

“I… That must have been creepy,”

“Trust me, I was terrified,” Eren looked at him seriously. “At first I thought I was gonna get murdered, but then I grew used to having you there. I even liked it. I felt… confident,”

“I’m sorry,” Levi lied. No, he wasn’t.

An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them, seeming to last for centuries. Levi stared at his shoes – such a fascinating brand and model – while Eren admired the beautiful walls which were painted with a color resembling someone’s vomit.

“What’s your name?” he asked suddenly.

“Adidas – shit, no, it’s Levi!”

“Levi…” Eren smiled at him and Levi cursed the muffins he had eaten for breakfast; they had turned into moths in his stomach. “My name is Eren,”

“I know,” Levi blurted.

Eren opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a female’s voice on the intercom, announcing his name. He whispered a hurried goodbye to Levi and exited the room, the bells singing softly and calling Levi to them.

* * *

Levi hated the lights that glared at him from the sides of the stage. In his opinion, lights weren’t necessary; once Eren began to move, every eye was fixed firmly on him. The audience watched, spellbound.

Tanned arms lifted high in the air, fingers arranged delicately in an exotic _mudra,_ feet posed in a perfect stance that showed off his bare and muscled back, he extended his arms out like as though reaching for a treasure invisible to Levi. A spectrum of emotions graced his features as Eren slipped from one _rasa_ to the next. His bells sang with him as he twirled and twisted, feet tapping in a defined _tala_. Thrusting out his gracile waist, the silk _dhoti_ flourished with every step as he glided along the stage like a brook gliding along its weathered path. His feet thudded on the wooden floor to the _raga_ in symmetric movements.

Eren brought another foot down harshly. The strength behind the step made the raven quiver in his spot. His feet could kick a hole in the wall, yet moved with astounding lightness and fluidity.

Levi tore his eyes reluctantly away from him to glance at the crowd. They followed every movement, spellbound to his charm. Levi couldn’t explain the little bubble of pride that swelled in his chest. He had watched Eren practice every single night, been there through all his mistakes and triumphs.  
  
Even if it was behind a door, trying really hard to suppress his massive boner.

When Eren’s routine ended, he brought his hands together in a _namaskaram_ and bowed to raucous applause. He straightened up and turned back to meet Levi’s gaze. Levi froze, unsure of what to do, so he quickly gave him a thumbs-up.  
Eren beamed.

* * *

“How did I do?”

Levi thought hard as he nibbled on his sandwich. “You didn’t trip and fall off the stage like last week,”

Eren laughed again. “No, thank god. But did you like it?” he asked, pausing to hear Levi’s answer. He had washed his face and taken off his ornaments but chose to torture Levi by still staying in his silk _dhoti._ Levi tried so hard not to stare at his midriff.

“Yeah,” he swallowed. “You were great,”

Eren’s eyes shone as he stuffed his belongings in a duffel bag. “Thanks!”

“Will you still continue dancing?” Levi clutched his sandwich hopefully. Maybe this time he could actually sit in front of him and watch.

“Yeah… what about you?”

“Me?” Levi started. “I don’t dance,” he said hurriedly. If he were to ‘bust a move’ as the others called it, he’d end up looking like a constipated duck and he didn’t want Eren to give any more reasons to view him as a deranged sociopath.

“I could teach you,” Eren offered. He zipped the bag and walked over to Levi, his ankle bells tolling softly. “It’ll be nice to have a partner,” he sat next to him, oblivious to Levi’s screaming brain cells. He was a human toaster; it wasn’t cold, but the warmth radiating from him was welcome. Eren took his hand.

“So?”

Levi idly stared at the hand holding his. The red dye decorated his hand with strange patterns. He looked up to search for some kind of indication that Eren was joking with him. But those eyes had always been honest and open, never concealing a single emotion. It was one of the reasons Eren made an exceptionally brilliant Bharatanatyam dancer. The central theme of the dance was to express a story through emotions and gestures.

Levi took another bite of his sandwich. He didn’t have much to think about.

“When do we begin?”

Eren looked shaken that his offer had actually been accepted but he recovered quickly and broke out into a stupid grin. “Tonight, if you want,” he said eagerly.

“Tonight,” Levi agreed. “But only after you take a shower; if you don’t, I’ll drown you in the tub myself,”

Levi wasn’t religious. But he finally got to worship his favorite deity that night.

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably one of my most favorite drabbles because, well, I really LOVE the idea of Eren as a Bharatanatyam dancer. The art is just so beautiful and expressive and I can think of no one else but Eren to depict it.   
> Thanks for reading!


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